scholarly journals Radiometric Intercomparison between Suomi-NPP VIIRS and Aqua MODIS Reflective Solar Bands Using Simultaneous Nadir Overpass in the Low Latitudes

2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 2720-2736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sirish Uprety ◽  
Changyong Cao ◽  
Xiaoxiong Xiong ◽  
Slawomir Blonski ◽  
Aisheng Wu ◽  
...  

Abstract On-orbit radiometric performance of the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (Suomi-NPP) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) is studied using the extended simultaneous nadir overpass (SNO-x) approach. Unlike the traditional SNO analysis of data in the high latitudes, this study extends the analysis to the low latitudes—in particular, over desert and ocean sites with relatively stable and homogeneous radiometric properties—for intersatellite comparisons. This approach utilizes a pixel-by-pixel match with an efficient geospatial matching algorithm to map VIIRS data into the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). VIIRS moderate-resolution bands M-1 through M-8 are compared with Aqua MODIS equivalent bands to quantify radiometric bias over the North African desert and over the ocean. Biases exist between VIIRS and MODIS in several bands, primarily because of spectral differences as well as possible calibration uncertainties, residual cloud contamination, and bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF). The impact of spectral differences on bias is quantified by using the Moderate Resolution Atmospheric Transmission (MODTRAN) and hyperspectral measurements from the Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) Hyperion and the Airborne Visible and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS). After accounting for spectral differences and bias uncertainties, the VIIRS radiometric bias over desert agrees with MODIS measurements within 2% except for the VIIRS shortwave infrared (SWIR) band M-8, which indicates a nearly 3% bias. Over ocean, VIIRS agrees with MODIS within 2% by the end of January 2013 with uncertainty less than 1%. Furthermore, VIIRS bias relative to MODIS is also computed at the Antarctica Dome C site for validation and the result agrees well within 1% with the bias estimated using SNO-x over desert.

2016 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. 977-987 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taixia Wu ◽  
Guanghua Li ◽  
Zehua Yang ◽  
Hongming Zhang ◽  
Yong Lei ◽  
...  

Spectral analysis is one of the main non-destructive techniques used to examine cultural relics. Hyperspectral imaging technology, especially on the shortwave infrared (SWIR) band, can clearly extract information from paintings, such as color, pigment composition, damage characteristics, and painting techniques. All of these characteristics have significant scientific and practical value in the study of ancient paintings and other relics and in their protection and restoration. In this study, an ancient painting, numbered Gu-6541, which had been found in the Forbidden City, served as a sample. A ground-based SWIR imaging spectrometer was used to produce hyperspectral images with high spatial and spectral resolution. Results indicated that SWIR imaging spectral data greatly facilitates the extraction of line features used in drafting, even using a single band image. It can be used to identify and classify mineral pigments used in paintings. These images can detect alterations and traces of daub used in painting corrections and, combined with hyperspectral data analysis methods such as band combination or principal component analysis, such information can be extracted to highlight outcomes of interest. In brief, the SWIR imaging spectral technique was found to have a highly favorable effect on the extraction of line features from drawings and on the identification of colors, classification of paintings, and extraction of hidden information.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1627
Author(s):  
Chermelle B. Engel ◽  
Simon D. Jones ◽  
Karin J. Reinke

This paper introduces an enhanced version of the Biogeographical Region and Individual Geostationary HHMMSS Threshold (BRIGHT) algorithm. The algorithm runs in real-time and operates over 24 h to include both daytime and night-time detections. The algorithm was executed and tested on 12 months of Himawari-8 data from 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020, for every valid 10-min observation. The resulting hotspots were compared to those from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The modified BRIGHT hotspots matched with fire detections in VIIRS 96% and MODIS 95% of the time. The number of VIIRS and MODIS hotspots with matches in the coincident modified BRIGHT dataset was lower (at 33% and 46%, respectively). This paper demonstrates a clear link between the number of VIIRS and MODIS hotspots with matches and the minimum fire radiative power considered.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Plank ◽  
Francesco Marchese ◽  
Nicola Genzano ◽  
Michael Nolde ◽  
Sandro Martinis

AbstractSatellite-based Earth observation plays a key role for monitoring volcanoes, especially those which are located in remote areas and which very often are not observed by a terrestrial monitoring network. In our study we jointly analyzed data from thermal (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer MODIS and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite VIIRS), optical (Operational Land Imager and Multispectral Instrument) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) (Sentinel-1 and TerraSAR-X) satellite sensors to investigate the mid-October 2019 surtseyan eruption at Late’iki Volcano, located on the Tonga Volcanic Arc. During the eruption, the remains of an older volcanic island formed in 1995 collapsed and a new volcanic island, called New Late’iki was formed. After the 12 days long lasting eruption, we observed a rapid change of the island’s shape and size, and an erosion of this newly formed volcanic island, which was reclaimed by the ocean two months after the eruption ceased. This fast erosion of New Late’iki Island is in strong contrast to the over 25 years long survival of the volcanic island formed in 1995.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 4083-4110 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. C. Levy ◽  
L. A. Munchak ◽  
S. Mattoo ◽  
F. Patadia ◽  
L. A. Remer ◽  
...  

Abstract. To answer fundamental questions about aerosols in our changing climate, we must quantify both the current state of aerosols and how they are changing. Although NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors have provided quantitative information about global aerosol optical depth (AOD) for more than a decade, this period is still too short to create an aerosol climate data record (CDR). The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) was launched on the Suomi-NPP satellite in late 2011, with additional copies planned for future satellites. Can the MODIS aerosol data record be continued with VIIRS to create a consistent CDR? When compared to ground-based AERONET data, the VIIRS Environmental Data Record (V_EDR) has similar validation statistics as the MODIS Collection 6 (M_C6) product. However, the V_EDR and M_C6 are offset in regards to global AOD magnitudes, and tend to provide different maps of 0.55 μm AOD and 0.55/0.86 μm-based Ångström Exponent (AE). One reason is that the retrieval algorithms are different. Using the Intermediate File Format (IFF) for both MODIS and VIIRS data, we have tested whether we can apply a single MODIS-like (ML) dark-target algorithm on both sensors that leads to product convergence. Except for catering the radiative transfer and aerosol lookup tables to each sensor's specific wavelength bands, the ML algorithm is the same for both. We run the ML algorithm on both sensors between March 2012 and May 2014, and compare monthly mean AOD time series with each other and with M_C6 and V_EDR products. Focusing on the March–April–May (MAM) 2013 period, we compared additional statistics that include global and gridded 1° × 1° AOD and AE, histograms, sampling frequencies, and collocations with ground-based AERONET. Over land, use of the ML algorithm clearly reduces the differences between the MODIS and VIIRS-based AOD. However, although global offsets are near zero, some regional biases remain, especially in cloud fields and over brighter surface targets. Over ocean, use of the ML algorithm actually increases the offset between VIIRS and MODIS-based AOD (to ~ 0.025), while reducing the differences between AE. We characterize algorithm retrievability through statistics of retrieval fraction. In spite of differences between retrieved AOD magnitudes, the ML algorithm will lead to similar decisions about "whether to retrieve" on each sensor. Finally, we discuss how issues of calibration, as well as instrument spatial resolution may be contributing to the statistics and the ability to create a consistent MODIS → VIIRS aerosol CDR.


2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 2479-2496 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Rosenfeld ◽  
G. Liu ◽  
X. Yu ◽  
Y. Zhu ◽  
J. Dai ◽  
...  

Abstract. VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite), onboard the Suomi NPP (National Polar-orbiting Partnership) satellite, has an improved resolution of 750 m with respect to the 1000 m of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer for the channels that allow retrieving cloud microphysical parameters such as cloud drop effective radius (re). VIIRS also has an imager with five channels of double resolution of 375 m, which was not designed for retrieving cloud products. A methodology for a high-resolution retrieval of re and microphysical presentation of the cloud field based on the VIIRS imager was developed and evaluated with respect to MODIS in this study. The tripled microphysical resolution with respect to MODIS allows obtaining new insights for cloud–aerosol interactions, especially at the smallest cloud scales, because the VIIRS imager can resolve the small convective elements that are sub-pixel for MODIS cloud products. Examples are given for new insights into ship tracks in marine stratocumulus, pollution tracks from point and diffused sources in stratocumulus and cumulus clouds over land, deep tropical convection in pristine air mass over ocean and land, tropical clouds that develop in smoke from forest fires and in heavy pollution haze over densely populated regions in southeastern Asia, and for pyro-cumulonimbus clouds. It is found that the VIIRS imager provides more robust physical interpretation and refined information for cloud and aerosol microphysics as compared to MODIS, especially in the initial stage of cloud formation. VIIRS is found to identify significantly more fully cloudy pixels when small boundary layer convective elements are present. This, in turn, allows for a better quantification of cloud–aerosol interactions and impacts on precipitation-forming processes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 11831-11845 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert Ansmann ◽  
Holger Baars ◽  
Alexandra Chudnovsky ◽  
Ina Mattis ◽  
Igor Veselovskii ◽  
...  

Abstract. Light extinction coefficients of 500 Mm−1, about 20 times higher than after the Pinatubo volcanic eruptions in 1991, were observed by European Aerosol Research Lidar Network (EARLINET) lidars in the stratosphere over central Europe on 21–22 August 2017. Pronounced smoke layers with a 1–2 km vertical extent were found 2–5 km above the local tropopause. Optically dense layers of Canadian wildfire smoke reached central Europe 10 days after their injection into the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere which was caused by rather strong pyrocumulonimbus activity over western Canada. The smoke-related aerosol optical thickness (AOT) identified by lidar was close to 1.0 at 532 nm over Leipzig during the noon hours on 22 August 2017. Smoke particles were found throughout the free troposphere (AOT of 0.3) and in the pronounced 2 km thick stratospheric smoke layer at an altitude of 14–16 km (AOT of 0.6). The lidar observations indicated peak mass concentrations of 70–100 µg m−3 in the stratosphere. In addition to the lidar profiles, we analyzed Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) fire radiative power (FRP) over Canada, and the distribution of MODIS AOT and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aerosol index across the North Atlantic. These instruments showed a similar pattern and a clear link between the western Canadian fires and the aerosol load over Europe. In this paper, we also present Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) sun photometer observations, compare photometer and lidar-derived AOT, and discuss an obvious bias (the smoke AOT is too low) in the photometer observations. Finally, we compare the strength of this record-breaking smoke event (in terms of the particle extinction coefficient and AOT) with major and moderate volcanic events observed over the northern midlatitudes.


2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (9) ◽  
pp. 3114-3128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiwei Heng ◽  
Yunfei Fu ◽  
Guosheng Liu ◽  
Renjun Zhou ◽  
Yu Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract In this paper, the global distribution of cloud water based on International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP), Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR), European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Interim Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim), and Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) datasets is presented, and the variability of cloud water from ISCCP, the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I), ERA-Interim, and CFSR data over the time period of 1995 through 2009 is discussed. The results show noticeable differences in cloud water over land and over ocean, as well as latitudinal variations. Large values of cloud water are mainly distributed over the North Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, eastern ITCZ, regions off the west coast of the continents as well as tropical rain forest. Cloud water path (CWP), liquid water path (LWP), and ice water path (IWP) from these datasets show a relatively good agreement in distributions and zonal means. The results of trend analyzing show an increasing trend in CWP, and also a significant increasing trend of LWP can be found in the dataset of ISCCP, ERA-Interim, and CFSR over the ocean. Besides the long-term variation trend, rises of cloud water are found when temperature and water vapor exhibit a positive anomaly. EOF analyses are also applied to the anomalies of cloud water, the first dominate mode of CWP and IWP are similar, and a phase change can be found in the LWP time coefficient around 1999 in ISCCP and CFSR and around 2002 in ERA-Interim.


2011 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 673-678
Author(s):  
薛庆生 XUE Qing-sheng ◽  
林冠宇 LIN Guang-yu ◽  
宋克非 SONG Ke-fei

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia Sawyer ◽  
Robert C. Levy ◽  
Shana Mattoo ◽  
Geoff Cureton ◽  
Yingxi Shi ◽  
...  

For reflected sunlight observed from space at visible and near-infrared wavelengths, particles suspended in Earth’s atmosphere provide contrast with vegetation or dark water at the surface. This is the physical motivation for the Dark Target (DT) aerosol retrieval algorithm developed for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS). To extend the data record of aerosol optical depth (AOD) beyond the expected 20-year lifespan of the MODIS sensors, DT must be adapted for other sensors. A version of the DT AOD retrieval for the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi-National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (SNPP) is now mature enough to be released as a standard data product, and includes some upgraded features from the MODIS version. Differences between MODIS Aqua and VIIRS SNPP lead to some inevitable disagreement between their respective AOD measurements, but the offset between the VIIRS SNPP and MODIS Aqua records is smaller than the offset between those of MODIS Aqua and MODIS Terra. The VIIRS SNPP retrieval shows good agreement with ground-based measurements. For most purposes, DT for VIIRS SNPP is consistent enough and in close enough agreement with MODIS to continue the record of satellite AOD. The reasons for the offset from MODIS Aqua, and its spatial and temporal variability, are investigated in this study.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongbin Yu ◽  
Yang Yang ◽  
Hailong Wang ◽  
Qian Tan ◽  
Mian Chin ◽  
...  

Abstract. Emissions and long-range transport of mineral dust and combustion-related aerosol from burning fossil fuels and biomass vary from year to year, driven by the evolution of the economy and changes in meteorological conditions and environmental regulations. This study offers both satellite and model perspectives of interannual variability and possible trend of combustion aerosol and dust in major continental outflow regions over the past 15 years (2003–2017). The decade-long record of aerosol optical depth (AOD, denoted as τ), separately for combustion aerosol (τc) and dust (τd), over global oceans is derived from the Collection 6 aerosol products of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard both Terra and Aqua. These MODIS/Aqua datasets, complemented by aerosol source-tagged simulations using the Community Atmospheric Model Version 5 (CAM5), are then analyzed to understand the interannual variability and potential trend of τc and τd in the major continental outflows. Both MODIS and CAM5 consistently yield a similar decreasing trend of −0.017 to −0.020 decade−1 for τc over the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea that is attributable to reduced emissions from North America and Europe, respectively. On the contrary, both MODIS and CAM5 display an increasing trend of +0.017 to +0.036 decade−1 for τc over the tropical Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal, and the Arabian Sea, which reflects the influence of increased anthropogenic emissions from South Asia and Middle East in the last two decades. Over the northwestern Pacific Ocean that is often affected by East Asian emissions of pollution and dust, the MODIS retrievals show a decreasing trend of −0.021 decade−1 for τc and −0.012 decade−1 for τd, which is however not reproduced by the CAM5 model. In other outflow regions strongly influenced by biomass burning smoke or dust, both MODIS retrievals and CAM5 simulations show no statistically significant trends; and the MODIS observed interannual variability is usually larger than that of the CAM5 simulation.


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